Latest KFF Health News Stories
OMB Review Could Lock In ACO Rule, Politico Reports
Meanwhile, long-term care providers say health law doesn’t help with their problems.
Medicare Issues Play Out In Early Presidential, Congressional Politics
Medicare is again a hot-button issue as news outlets speculate on how Republican plans to revamp the program could play into the upcoming election season.
State Roundup: Health Costs And Private Prison Savings
News outlets report on state policy issues.
Outlook Dims For GOP-Backed Malpractice Reform
Even though a House panel approved a bill last week, advocates on both sides of the issue say a legislative deal this year is unlikely.
Analyzing The Impact Of ‘Gang Of Six’ Tensions On Deficit-Reduction Plans
News outlets examine what led to the exit of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., from this group of negotiators and what the new outlook is for the group to have a positive impact on congressional efforts to develop long-term deficit reduction strategies.
Reid Plans For Senate Vote On Ryan Budget Plan
USA Today reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is aiming for a vote next week.
Longer Looks: Health Care Questions For GOP Presidential Hopefuls
Today’s interesting reading options come from The Economist, MedPage Today, The Atlantic, National Review, Mother Jones, American Medical News, and Hospitals & Health Networks.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the impact of the departure of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., from the ‘Gang of Six’ on the efforts to address long-term budget issues such as Medicare spending.
Afghan Acting Health Minister Says Country Wants To Boost Immunization Access
Reuters featured an interivew with Afghanistan’s Acting Health Minister Suraya Dalil on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
People Living With HIV/AIDS In China Face Discrimination When Accessing Health Care, Report Says
HIV-positive people living in China “are routinely being denied medical treatment in mainstream hospitals due to fear and ignorance about the disease,” according to a study based on interviews with 103 people living with HIV/AIDS and 23 health care workers that was conducted by the International Labor Organization and China’s National Center for STD and AIDS Prevention and Control, Reuters reports (Wee, 5/17).
IRIN Examines High Risk Of TB Infection Among Health Workers In Kenya
IRIN examines tuberculosis among health care workers in Kenya, where “[s]afety equipment
Decline In Donations, Weak U.S. Dollar Causing WHO To Cut Budget, Staff, Director-General Chan Says
A decline in contributions from the WHO’s leading 30 “traditional” donor nations and the exchange rate for the weaker U.S. dollar are causing the agency to cut its budget and staff, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters in a news conference at the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
VOA News, MSNBC Look At Food Security
VOA News looks at the relationship between food security and trade barriers. “The Global Harvest Initiative says improving food and agricultural trade flows in the coming decades will help counter the effects of changing weather patterns, population shifts and limited natural resources,” VOA News writes.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNITAID, and the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) “said on Tuesday [they] had secured price reductions on key AIDS drugs for HIV-positive patients in poorer countries,” Reuters reports.
Government Study Finds 12 Women Died Giving Birth Per Month In 2010 At Hospital In Sierra Leone
A study has shown that during 2010, 12 women died every month while giving birth at the Princess Christian maternity hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, “a country with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates,” Agence France-Presse reports.
‘Gang Of Six’ Budget Talks Hit Wall As Sen. Coburn Withdraws
Among the key points of contention were his proposed cuts to Medicare.
HHS Offers New Initiatives To Add Momentum To ACOs
The so-called accountable care organizations are designed to encourage physicians and hospitals to better coordinate care. However, the Obama administration regulations regarding their formation have been met with stiff criticism.
Inspector General: Push For EMRs Overlooks Security Issues
The PBS NewsHour reports that the Office of the Inspector General found a lack of security control during prior audits of Medicare contractors, state medicaid agencies and hospitals.
JAMA: Number Of ERs Decline Just As Emergency Visits Rise
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the number of emergency departments has been declining for the past two decades.
